An Extraordinary Potter Poem by Sumit Ganguly

As a school boy, I was just malleable clay.
Girish Sir acted like a potter,
put me on a moulding wheel and gave shape
in skilled hands.

In school-dorm, he showed us
how to stretch a day by rising at dawn,
take a run, and sit to study,
being with us all the time.

The strain of school hours vanished
as he conducted our game of football as a referee,
offering tips for betterment, now and then,
all the time being one of our age.

What a talented man!
He taught music, encouraged us to publish wall magazine
and to read ever green authors,
offering hints to solve difficulties ourselves,

With boyish impatience we mocked him,
tried to sneak out of his clutch,
but after the spring has turned to summer
I remember my mentor-potterjust as my parents.